The instant invention relates to equipment racks and, more particularly, to an accessory for data center equipment racks that improves the functionality thereof. The invention has particular applicability to telecommunications equipment racks and cabinets constructed in accordance with the EIA/TIA standard EIA-310-D (xe2x80x9ccabinets, Racks, Panels and Associated Equipmentxe2x80x9d (ANSI/EIA/310-D-92)).
Data center processing equipment, such as telecommunications equipment, servers and the like, are typically mounted in racks or cabinets within a data center. Data center processing equipment has been getting smaller over the years. For example, machines with the same amount of computing power that used to measure six or more inches in height are now contained in 1.75 inches.
The size and shape of such processing equipment has become fairly standardized. The structure of racks and cabinets for use in mounting the processing equipment has also become fairly standardized is several respects. For example, in traditional computer rooms and data communication facilities, racks are typically provided that have the following common characteristics:
19 inch or 23 inch width (nominal);
2 rail or four post designs;
varying depth of 4 post racks or cabinets; and
mounting systems to accommodate equipment in height multiples of 1.75 inches (one xe2x80x9crack unitxe2x80x9d), typically pre-drilled and tapped holes for screw-mounting equipment.
These common characteristics are defined in EIA/TIA standard EIA-310-D (xe2x80x9ccabinets, Racks, Panels and Associated Equipmentxe2x80x9d (ANSI/EIA/310-D-92)).
In view of this accepted standard for racks, cabinets and equipment, there are a substantial number of processing machines, such as servers for use in connection with the Internet, that are 1.75 inches in height. Such equipment is known as xe2x80x9c1U equipmentxe2x80x9d. In conventional rack mounting systems, 1.75 inches is known as xe2x80x9cone rack unitxe2x80x9d, or the smallest unit of measure for equipment mounting locations within the vertical space of one data rack. This height (1U) corresponds to the standard mounting distance in EIA-spec telecommunications racks, and is the smallest unit of measure when discussing data center footprint of computing machines.
EIA-spec telecommunications racks and the like include predefined screw holes in the frame of the rack for enabling 1U equipment to be mounted thereon in a stacked manner. The mounting holes in such EIA-spec racks are positioned such that, when mounted, each piece of equipment is in contact, or very close to being in contact, with adjacent pieces of equipment. In other words, such EIA-spec racks are designed such that there is substantially no space between each piece of equipment.
There are several problems associated with the use of EIA-spec telecommunications racks, and other similar racks. For example, when 1U equipment is mounted vertically with no space between adjacent pieces of equipment, there is a substantial amount of heat conducted up the stack of equipment from one machine to another. This phenomenon is known as the xe2x80x9cchimney effect.xe2x80x9d Most of this heat energy is conducted up through the stacked equipment due to the proximity of the equipment cases (touching or very nearly touching). As a result, data centers that house such racks must constantly provide sufficient cooling for the equipment to prevent damage or malfunction of the equipment due to this excess heat.
In addition, traditional mounting and unmounting of 1U equipment is difficult. For example, if the equipment provides for rail attachments at the front only (2 rail design) or in the front and rear (four post design), the equipment must be supported (typically by hand) while the fasteners are attached. In a dense rack, i.e., a rack with lots of equipment already mounted therein, it can be difficult to support the equipment while fastening the equipment to the rack. Moreover, if the equipment does not provide for rear attachment or other support, then there is significant stress placed on the front mounting brackets. For example, a bracket that is less than or equal to 1.75 inches in height must support the moment caused from the equipment weight centered (in some cases substantially) behind the mounting point. This stress can damage equipment cases and/or components therein.
As explained above, some of the main problems with existing mounting systems, such as EIA-spec mounting systems and the like, can be summarized as follows:
When multiple units of equipment are mounted in a vertically stacked manner, heat is conducted between adjacent units and heat is radiated upwardly from unit to unit. This can cause particular heating problems for units mounted closer to the top of the rack;
Smaller one Rack Unit (1U) high pieces of equipment suffer from high moment on their front mounting brackets when not also supported in the rear, thereby causing stress on the equipment and the rack; and
In dense racks, it is difficult to support the equipment while fastening the equipment to the rack.
Thus, improvements in equipment mounting systems are needed to overcome the above-described problems with conventional mounting systems. The instant invention is designed to overcome these and other problems with conventional mounting systems by providing an accessory that can easily and effectively be mounted on an EIA-spec rack for the purpose of enabling the equipment to be mounted or supported on the accessory rather than directly on the rack. In other words, the invention provides a rack accessory that is mounted on the rack prior to mounting equipment in the rack. The accessory is designed to reduce the heat problems, mounting problems and stress problems described above.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a rack accessory is provided for an equipment rack having mounting locations for a predetermined number of units of electronic equipment within a predetermined vertical distance. The rack includes a front support member and a rear support member, wherein the front support member defines a bracket adapted to be secured on a front mounting portion of the rack. The rack accessory further includes a predetermined number of substantially parallel and substantially equally spaced shelves extending between the front support member and the rear support member. The shelves are each configured to support a side portion of the electronic equipment when installed in the rack. In accordance with a primary feature of the present invention, the rack accessory has a height that substantially corresponds to the predetermined vertical distance, and the predetermined number of shelves is less than the predetermined number of units for which the rack is designed to accommodate within the predetermined vertical distance.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a method is provided for mounting electronic equipment in an equipment rack, wherein the rack includes mounting locations for a predetermined number of units of electronic equipment within a predetermined vertical distance. The method includes providing a first rack accessory including: a front support member and a rear support member, wherein the front support member defines a bracket adapted to be secured on a front mounting portion of the rack; and
a predetermined number of substantially parallel and substantially equally spaced shelves extending between the front support member and the rear support member, wherein the shelves are each configured to support a side portion of a respective one of the units of electronic equipment when installed in the rack; wherein the rack accessory has a height that substantially corresponds to the predetermined vertical distance, and the predetermined number of shelves is less than the predetermined number of units. The method further includes providing a second rack accessory similar to the first rack accessory and having a reverse configuration relative to the first rack accessory, mounting the front support member of the first rack accessory on a first side of a front portion of the rack such that the shelves extend inwardly; mounting the front support member of the second rack accessory on a second side of a front portion of the rack such that the shelves extend inwardly, and such that the second rack accessory substantially corresponds to a vertical location on the rack at which the first rack accessory is mounted; and installing at least one piece of electronic equipment in the rack such that respective side portions of the equipment are supported on respective shelves of the first rack accessory and the second rack accessory.
In a preferred embodiment, the rack accessory of the instant invention is designed for use in connection with racks corresponding to the EIA/TIA standard EIA-310-D (xe2x80x9ccabinets, Racks, Panels and Associated Equipmentxe2x80x9d (ANSI/EIA/310-D-92)) and for use with equipment, such as Web servers and the like, that are one Rack Unit (1U) in height.
As will be seen from the description of the invention herein, the rack accessory of the instant invention provides at least the following main improvements over conventional rack systems:
Equipment is supported along its entire depth, thereby eliminating the moment on the front mounting bracket and preventing stress on equipment cases and components;
A single technician can mount servers and other similar equipment very easily and quickly; and
The invention introduces a small air gap between the mounted equipment, which breaks the heat conduction path and allows cooling air to be distributed between machines.